The long-term outlook for the technology industry is bright, according to Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft Corp. Speaking today to an audience of more than 300 financial analysts, investors and journalists at Microsoft's annual Financial Analyst Meeting, Gates shared his optimism about the technology sector and highlighted the company's achievements in fiscal year 2002, as well as the major investments the company is making in the coming year to foster future growth and innovation. "We've always taken a long-term approach to our business, even in times of economic challenge and uncertainty," Gates said. "Our products deliver great value today, and our technology road map puts us in a strong position for the years ahead."

Microsoft's position in the enterprise is strengthening, Gates said, as a result of continued product enhancements in scalability, reliability and manageability, with Microsoft� SQL ServerTM 2000 leading the way with top industry benchmarks and improved ranking from key industry analyst firms. Another momentum driver has been Windows� XP, which has now sold more than 46 million licenses, making it the fastest-selling Windows operating system ever. "We saw some remarkable successes in 2002," Gates said. "For example, Web services are gaining broad appeal, and even some of the original skeptics have re-evaluated their position on the technology. WS-I, which is promoting Web services standards, now has more than 100 member companies, and Visual Studio� .NET developers are now deploying all kinds of Web services applications."